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Prices start at around $250,000 plus taxes for the 90 Station Wagon, rising to almost $270,000 for a seven-seater 110, but start to tinker with the online configurator and it’s very easy to imagine adding significantly to those numbers.
A loaded INEOS Grenadier is a third of that price.
Last edited by SilverSFR; Sep 5, 2024 at 12:10 PM.
Honestly, having had a few, I would pass. If you want to get a loud, leaky noisy gas guzzling slow vehicle, it is great. My last one had the best creature comforts, AC, a heater that actually worked, seat heaters, very fancy aftermarket seats. But it leaked and you really didn't want to drive more than an hour without a stretching session. Mine had the V8 and an unfortunately tiny gas tank. The range was very compromised. Impressive off road performance, but you needed to be festooned with fuel cans to go anywhere. You didn't want to go over 80, the front end lifted. I didn't feel too bad paying a fraction of their asking price, at a quarter of a mil, I'd pass.
Mine was way cooler than what they are offering, and it was set up to tow aircraft, went for just under $90K:
I agree with you @Dogpilot The old Defender is way too outdated, and in my humble opinion way overpriced for what it is. However, it still has that COOL factor. It is a very uncomfortable car to take on long trips...
Yes they do have the cool factor, but it seems to be more inclined to having a "Bromance" cool than a chick magnet cool. Short story:
I was engaged to marry the VW, Porsche, Audi distributor in USA's daughter. A highly attractive German blonde. My first Land Rover was a Series IIa, one of the very last ones imported by British Leyland, a 1972. I was a Geology student, so it was necessary. I liked it better than the other available "tuna tins" that were offered as off-road vehicles at the time. They were all loud, tiny, uncomfortable vehicles. The LR could be spotted in any parking lot, and yes we flashed our lights and if convenient, stopped and shook hands. Which happened almost monthly. She finally threw a hissy fit about the car. So I sold it at a pleasant profit. However I soon discovered that I could not use a road car in my studies. I bought another, after a long search. a 1968. Well kind of a step down, but it persisted until I got my wings and went overseas.
Now the girl's father was even less impressed with the car. First off, if I visited I could not park in front. He didn't want the other residents of Bel Air to see this the car or anybody he knew thought he drove it. I had to park on the side of the house. He was constantly jonesing for me to wash it. Why? I would have had to do it daily. Anyhow, he tried bribing me with other cars. Something he could get absurdly cheap. VW, Audi or Porsche did not make anything since the Beetle that could go more than 10 meters off road. I ended up keeping the car and changing the girlfriend. Which was a good move, the replacement has endured several decades with me. Don't get me wrong, she despises the Defenders, knows where to stop about them. They really did needle her all these years, especially the one we had in Italy. Which bore an uncanny resemblance to the star of the "Gods Must Be Crazy." Right down to the color and disposition. She almost passed out laughing when she saw that movie.
So no not looking to drive one anymore, certainly not for a cool ¼ mill, they are defiantly not worth that. Unless it came with free gas, hearing aids and hookers. Besides if I need my fix, I just drive Nic's old 110 in South Africa, which I do annually. Right Hand Drive is way more comfortable for the driver, they where designed that way and the transfer case does not force you feet and legs into a narrow slot.
I must have missed something after reading about this ground up rebuilt ‘original’ Defender. Some comments made it sound like it was to be avoided at all costs; loud, creaky, slow. Reading the full text on this, it appears as if it has the rugged legendary looks of the ‘old’ Defender, but after a frame up, full on restoration with a new power plant, tranny, interior, electronics, seating, suspension, pretty much everything, sounds like a dream to drive. Looking like it’s from a previous era, but being as posh, comfortable and capable as our ‘new’ L663’s. Love the concept and old school look, but yes, at that price it’s built for celebrities, rock stars and Saudi oil barons. If they only had a ‘buy two, get one free special’ I might consider it.
This is a deal in my mind. A new old style Defender fully restored and restomoded at the factory by Land Rover Classic. The pricing makes sense versus all the BS outfits like ECD restoring them and charging the same price if not more for a truck with no pedigree.
Having owned an OG Defender 90, I agree with many of the above posts: The OG Defender is definitely "cool", but it's a design from the 70's, rooted even further back in the 50's, and it's no longer a sufficiently safe or practical car for today's roads.
Noisy as heck, bad blind spots, very few safety features, kidney-killing levels of bumpiness, desperately poor range, vague steering and on and on. In my opinion it's one of the least safe cars of all much above 50 or so MPH, never mind the 80+ MPH that's common on US freeways, and now they want to put a 500 HP V8 in it so you can go 130!? Mine even had side-facing jump seats, which were ridiculously uncomfortable yet still "cool" - right up until you imagine rolling over with 4 people back there! (I took them out immediately.)
Now, I'd much rather have my OG Defender once I reach the trail, but on those 8 hour drives to get there, I'll take the new generation any and every day!
Um, but I'd kind of still like one of those tasty re-manufactured ones anyway. 😉
Classic Defender
